


stay (in her arms)

by vocalscars



Category: Crystar (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Incest, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27816022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vocalscars/pseuds/vocalscars
Summary: when mirai tells rei she wants to reincarnate, rei refuses to let go of her little sister's hand.an alternate ending.
Relationships: Hatada Mirai/Hatada Rei
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	stay (in her arms)

“if i stay, i’ll always do bad things.”

rei blinks and stares blankly at her sister, her hands going limp in their mutual hold. she can’t do anything but search her eyes for any semblance of meaning or explanation to her words, yet all she can find is different shades of pink, red, and perhaps a little sadness. she’s never been good at reading expressions.

a squeeze on her right hand makes her twitch in surprise and return her focus to her surroundings. she is sitting with mirai in a manifestation of her bedroom in the first layer of purgatory, the same one that appeared when they got separated a week ago in another timeline. some of the small things are blurry or nonexistent - it’s not like rei cared much about the textbooks on her desk, so of course those sorts of things wouldn’t form - but her bed was in full detail, soft and comfortable. mirai has rei’s hands pulled over onto her thighs, where her legs dangle off the edge of the bed. selfishly, she keeps them on her side only, wanting to be the one to hold rei’s hands. rei doesn’t mind, but the comforting gesture combined with what mirai’s telling her doesn’t add up. it isn’t comforting, and it surely doesn’t make any sense.

after searching for any good response, rei simply asks, “what do you mean?” she’s never been good at talking, either. mirai smiles softly, and rei can’t tell if it’s deceptive or genuine. either way, it makes her stomach flip with dread.

mirai’s voice comes out soft and cute as always, as if what she’s saying is as normal as asking rei what she wants for dinner. “you remember what i did. you remember what i said. i wanted onee-chan all to myself, and i couldn’t have her, so i did horrible things.” rei’s breath hitches anxiously, but mirai keeps talking as smoothly as before. “since i still want onee-chan to myself, i’ll still end up doing bad things. i don’t want to see nee-chan cry like that again. so i can’t stay.”

rei’s heart has practically sank to her stomach. “so… you’re…” she pauses, putting the pieces together. her stomach threatens to be sick. “you’re suggesting you should move on? through the cogs?”

as much as she doesn’t want it to be true, mirai nods silently. rei’s expression breaks, tears filling the edges of her eyes, but she holds herself together. crying can come later - she’s already cried enough. however, mirai sees them, and in response she digs her nails into rei’s hands unusually hard. a flash of despair crosses her face so intensely that despite it being gone as soon as it appears, even rei of all people can notice it. 

her feelings are suddenly a whirlwind. rei’s hands reflexively grip onto mirai’s, as if they’re going to fall out again. a burning in her mind overcomes her, and her voice is suddenly much louder, and even a little angry. “how could you say that after i tried to save you so many times?” her voice cracks at the end.

mirai flinches. was she not expecting an emotional response to such a heavy statement? her voice wavers for the first time since stalling time with mephis and pheles, this time with vulnerability instead of stress. “nee-chan, it’s okay, things will be better for you without me…! you can have friends without your clingy little sister getting in the way. you won’t have to go through anything that awful ever again.” she’s trying so hard to sound comforting as she always does, but rei just stares her down, her eyes dark with pain, sadness, and confusion. she wavers more. “onee-chan…?”

rei takes a deep breath, pulling her thoughts into something cohesive. she doesn’t want to make her sister think she’s angry, and she’s already visibly frightened her. she’s not angry, she’s just hurting. “mirai. what makes you think i’d give up on you now, after all of that? i wouldn’t go through all of that suffering, all of that crying, just to leave you behind when i finally have you in front of me again.” the pained expression on mirai’s face is enough to make her dizzy, but she continues, “you’re my sister, mirai. my dear little sister. i want to fix this with you.”

her breath runs out, and rei falls quiet, searching mirai’s expression again. this time there is no ambiguity. now her eyes are filling with tears. her lip wobbles. the dam her broken up soul was barely keeping together is visibly cracking. all rei can see is the hurting ten year old driving herself off the road in a blind fit of tragedy, and not the stronger thirteen year old who’s more capable than she is. rei wishes to herself that she had known sooner, even though there was no way for her to. imagining all of that lingering pain, all of that death, for three years after the event… even for someone who had to go through so much to save her, it was unfathomable. her sister was a broken child, not a competent teenager, and certainly not a demon - and she wanted more than anything to _save_ her… for different reasons this time.

she repeats herself when mirai fails to respond, “mirai, i want to fix this with you. you’re not beyond saving. even my stumbling self…” rei cracks an awkward smile, trying not to sadly laugh at herself, “...thinks we can do this. you won’t always have to do bad things.”

mirai is full on crying now, droplets streaming down her face in incontainable waves. she’s so broken up that she takes her hands off of rei’s and leans back, as if she were ashamed to exist in front of her. she chokes out weak sobs into her hands. rei hesitates, but remembering where hesitation has gotten her in the past, she pushes past it and scrambles to take mirai’s hands back in her own, pulling her forward so that their chests are touching and mirai can feel her heartbeat directly. it’s pounding. 

her sister still can’t do anything but cry, words completely lost. “...mirai.” rei’s voice comes out horribly sad, and she suddenly notices that tears are falling down her face as well. “mirai, mirai, mirai…!” she can’t say it enough as she breaks their hand hold to fully wrap her arms around her sister’s shaking form, clinging to her back, not wanting to let her go ever again. mirai desperately hugs rei back, her nails digging and scraping for security, for warmth, for love.

“n...nee-chan…” mirai hiccups into rei’s chest, finding her voice again. it’s no longer soft, nor is it bitter, angry, or jealous. her tone is the same as when her parents told her she wasn’t part of the family anymore - terrified, lonely, and sad. “i killed us, i killed _you,_ while smiling! i made you… k-kill…” she trails off, too ashamed and guilty to spell it out. “i... i’m sorry rei. i’m sorry. i’m so, so sorry… i just wanted you to _love_ me…!”

the way mirai’s voice peaks with pain makes rei choke out a sob, her feelings crushing. she pulls slightly at her little sister’s hair, digging one hand in, savoring the texture she thought she would never feel again. “i _love you_ mirai! more than anyone else!” she suddenly screams in a flurry of emotions, derailing into messy, broken crying. the words make mirai go limp in rei’s arms aside from her hands which still tightly dig into her shirt. rei feels it and puts extra strength into supporting her, refusing to let go. she shudders out a stuttered breath, needing to say more. “i’ll never give up on you. _ever!”_

both of them can do nothing but sob into each other’s arms as rei’s tears land on the top of mirai’s head and mirai drenches rei’s shirt with hers. they pull and grab at each other’s clothes, hair, skin - anything in the vicinity as if to reassure themselves that the other is there, real, against all odds. when mirai scrapes at rei’s neck so hard that it leaves lingering white marks, she doesn’t even mind and just pulls mirai closer. at some point she finds herself sitting further back on her bed, mirai curled with her knees up against her big sister, frail and tired. her loud crying from before slowly changes into weeping and shaky breaths, one of her hands finding rei’s again as it always does, squeezing it as she soaks in the warmth she always wanted so desperately. she _needed_ rei to envelop her, to fill her broken heart. it occurs to both of them almost simultaneously that they’ve never been this close before when mirai has to lift her face out of rei’s chest just to speak. “onee-chan?”

rei looks down at mirai who’s still leaned forward against her, eyes glassy with liquid, but warmer than they’ve ever been. she blinks and a couple stray tears fall. “mhm?”

mirai lifts herself up a bit, pushing her knees back into the sheets to support herself. she’s back at eye level with rei. “you won’t give up on me?” she asks, her entire life resting on the answer.

rei smiles, almost wanting to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. of course she wouldn’t - if she was willing to give up, she would have a long time ago. “never,” she replies with a hoarse throat.

“but what if i get jealous? what if i get angry? what if i try to hurt you again? what if i’m too clingy?” the questions tumble out of mirai’s mouth, scratchy and shaky. rei’s insides burn with adoration she didn’t know she had.

“then we’ll talk about it and work on it so you don’t have to be jealous or hurt or cling anymore.” the words are sincere and loving, and mirai can feel it. rei is almost surprised herself with how easy it is to be genuine. mirai’s broken expression cracks open with a smile, eyes shining, breathless.

more expectant and eager, she asks, “you won’t get rid of me like mom and dad?”

“...no, mirai, i won’t.” rei softens and takes mirai’s other hand, lifting them up between the two of them so they’re clearly visible. there’s a pause of silence and mirai looks a bit confused, waiting to see what’s on the edge of rei’s tongue. whatever fear rei had disappears when she takes a moment to hear mirai’s breathing - the breathing of a girl who’s still alive, and who she cares about more than anyone else in the world. she knows she means what she says. “and you’ll always have my hands to hold. just like when we were kids.”

mirai suddenly giggles and rei lifts her eyebrows in surprise, taken aback. “can i still cook for you too?” mirai asks. “if i’m going to go for revival, it’s required that i get to see you enjoy my potatoes.”

rei half-snorts, but also sighs in relief that despite her trembling body, runny nose, and rough voice, mirai seems to suddenly be excited to live again. “yes, i love your cooking!” she thinks for a moment about how just a little while ago mirai was saying she’d rather be dead than burden her. of course that couldn’t happen. they had come so far, found their own goals and resolve, and cared so much. of course mirai always needs her sister, and of course rei needs hers - and mirai has always, _always_ been rei’s sister, no matter what anyone else said. her feelings haven’t changed. “do you want to come home tonight…?” she runs her thumb over mirai’s.

mirai is beaming. “yes! ...but, can we stay here just a little longer?” she curls her knees up onto rei’s lap again, leaning into her. rei’s face fills with blush. she doesn’t understand or notice it yet, but mirai seems to smile a little more at the sight.

“...okay.” rei mentally checks for where she last put her phone, and makes a note to call nanana as soon as this moment is over so they can arrange revival for mirai. she knows it’s sitting on her half-detailed desk. she’s ready at any time for mirai to come home, but for now drinking in a bit more of each other’s warmth seems fine. it’s comforting. she missed it - and she’d like to experience it without sobbing her eyes out as well.

mirai pulls rei down by the upper back and rolls her so that they’re lying down side by side, fingers intertwined. rei knows that this won’t be easy, and that mirai probably _will_ hurt her again… but she knows it’s worth it if she gets to keep mirai close, just like this. if she can take down purgatory’s equivalent of God for her sister, she can deal with some more tears, frustration, and arguing that will come later down the road. it’s all worth it to see mirai smile - genuinely smile - the way she’s smiling right now. 

“thank you, rei,” mirai says, softly. rei’s heart skips a beat.

returning to her awkward self, rei responds with nothing more than a “mhm,” unsure of what to say. mirai giggles and rei flushes with indignation and embarrassment, but it’s familiar… comforting. _yes,_ rei thinks, _definitely worth it._

**Author's Note:**

> i finished crystar recently and couldn't shake off the feeling that mirai should have deserved a chance to heal instead of die always having believed she could never do good things. she deserves better than that. i wrote this on a whim as a result, all in one sitting. also, first AO3 post, woohoo! of course i pick a nonexistent fandom to start.


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